In Search of the Tombs of Gaya Kings and Queens in Gimhae | Travel Course | K-Travel Mate

The Tomb of Queen Suro of Gimhae is the burial site of Heo Hwang-ok, the queen of King Suro, the founder of Geumgwan Gaya. Heo Hwang-ok was originally a princess from the Indian Ayuta Kingdom who, following a heavenly command, crossed the sea by ship at the age of 16 to become King Suro's wife. Unlike King Suro's tomb, this tomb is uniquely built on a hill rather than flat land, and nearby is the Gusan-dong ancient tomb cluster with cave-style stone chamber tombs. Attached auxiliary structures include the Sungboje, Outer Sammun Gate, Inner Sammun Gate, and Hongsalmun Gate. At the entrance to the queen's tomb are the main gate called Gunammun and a Hongsalmun gate erected in front of the tomb. To the right of the tomb is the Sungbojae, where offerings are prepared, and in front is the tomb stele. In front of the queen's tomb remain stone ruins of a Pasaseoktap (stone pagoda) said to have been brought from India. According to the Samguk Yusa, this Pasaseoktap was carried to calm the waves when crossing by ship to Garakguk. The tomb itself is a circular burial mound about 5 meters high surrounded by a low square stone wall and has a stone retaining wall made of long stones in front. A stele in the center has two lines inscribed with ‘Garakguk Suro Wangbi Boju Taehu Heo Ssi Neung (Tomb of Queen Heo, Mother Empress of King Suro of Garak State).’ The protected area was expanded in 1446 (the 28th year of King Sejong’s reign) along with King Suro’s tomb, and there are records of grave robbery during the Imjin War. The current stele and upper stone were restored and installed in 1647 (the 25th year of King Injo’s reign). The facilities are relatively modest compared to the royal tomb, and since it has long been known as Suro Queen's tomb, it is believed to have been constructed around the same time as King Suro's tomb, likely as a pit tomb or stone chamber tomb. Ancestral rites are held every spring and autumn at Sungseonjeon alongside the tomb of King Suro, and on the 15th day of the 9th lunar month annually, the Kimhae Cultural Center hosts the Queen’s Tomb Tea Offering Ceremony honoring Heo Hwang-ok.

A small mountain peak located in Gusan-dong, Gimhae-si, designated as a Gyeongsangnam-do monument on August 6, 1983, and changed to a historic site on March 7, 2001. It is said to be the birthplace of Suro Wang, the founder of Gaya. Originally called Gusubong because it resembled a turtle's head, the flat area where the tomb of Queen Suro now lies represents the turtle's body, and the peak extending westward is thought to look like the turtle's head, hence the name. At the summit, there is a southern-style dolmen believed to date back to the 4th century BC. The dolmen has a cover stone resting on short support stones, and on it is inscribed the Gujibongseok epitaph believed to be written by the scholar Han Ho. Though Gujibong is just a low hill, it remains a sacred mountain for local people as the main stage of the birth legend of Gaya’s founder. During the Japanese colonial period, a road cut through Gujibong, severing the turtle's neck, but because of geomantic concerns, a pedestrian path was built over the road to reconnect the broken neck area.

가야의 건국설화(建國說話)가 깃든 김해시 구지봉(龜旨峰) 기슭에 자리 잡은 국립김해박물관은 가야의 문화재를 집약 전시하고 있으며, 아울러 부산·경남지역의 선사시대의 문화상과 가야의 성장 기반이 된 변한(弁韓)의 문화유산을 전시하고 있다.

대성동고분군에서 4차례의 발굴조사에서 출토된 자료들을 전시하여 소개함으로써 역사 속에서 가려져 있었던 금관가야의 실체뿐만 아니라 이곳이 금관가야의 중심지라는 것을 인식하게 하는 장이다. 박물관은 지상 1층의 전시실과 지하 1층의 부속시설을 갖추고 있다. 지상 1층 3개의 전시실에는 도입의 장, 개관의 장, 고분의 장, 교류의 장, 문화의 장 5개의 전시공간을 구분하여 전시하고 있다.

The tomb of King Suro, the founder of Geumgwan Gaya, located in Seosang-dong, Gimhae-si, is designated as a historic site. It is a round-shaped mound approximately 5 meters high, with buildings such as Sungsunjeon (where the spirit tablet is enshrined), Anhwangak (for storing incense and sacrificial tools used in spring and autumn rites), Jeonsacheong, and Jegigo. There are also stone structures like the spirit monument and the merit monument. Major historic sites of Suro Royal Tomb include Sungsunjeon, Anhwangak, Nambyeong main gate (the main gate of the royal tomb), and Gujibong, which is a formation of ten turtles grouped together. King Suro ascended the throne as the founder of Garakguk in 42 AD, married Princess Heo Hwang-ok from the Indian Yautya Kingdom in 48 AD, and is the progenitor of the Gimhae Kim clan. In the 13th year of Seonjo's reign (1580), Yeongnam Governor Heo Yeop reportedly renovated the tomb into its current form. Inside the tomb are spirit tablets of King Suro and Queen Suro; spirit tablets are places where the soul of the deceased rests, referring to a portrait or document of the deceased. The tombstone in front of the tomb was erected in the 25th year of King Injo's reign (1647), and the name Sungsunjeon was bestowed by the king in the 21st year of King Gojong's reign (1884).